Pages

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Summer Vacation Kids' Memory Book Craft

Its summer vacation and you’ve got the camera out.
Well, maybe not your camera. A decade ago when my son was a toddler I toted
around a clunky camera everywhere I went. Back then my cell phone didn’t even
take pictures, so my only hope of capturing those memorable moments was with an
actual camera. Sometimes I even brought along the one that uses actual film –
the kind a lab has to process. It’s much easier now to take pictures with my
sleek little iPhone. That said, they tend to stay in that little iPhone, only
making their way as far as Facebook or an email to grandma and grandpa.

Instead of relying on myself to download and print
the pics, I thought why not just make a kid-created picture album. This
vacation journal activity offers your child the chance to combine literacy and
art while creating a lasting memento of your family’s trip.

Start the art-making before you go away and bring
the journal (plus markers or crayons) everywhere that you go!

Here’s What You’ll Need:

·Cardboard- Reuse the front and back of a
cereal or cracker box.

·Scissors

·A hole punch

·Construction paper

·Pipe cleaners

·Crayons or markers

·Any other decorative materials such as
tissue paper, modeling clay, model magic, pom poms and so on and son on

·Clear drying school glue

Here’s What You’ll Need To Do:

1.Help
your child to cut out a cover and back from the cardboard.

2.Using
the cover as a template, cut the construction paper to fit inside.

3.Stack
the book – cover, construction paper pages, back – and punch two holes (one at
the top and one at the bottom) of the left side.

4.Secure
the book together. Thread half a pipe cleaner through each hole. Leave a little
slack so that your child can open the book, and twist to tie. If you’re worried
about your child poking herself with the sharp ends of the pipe cleaners, use
yarn or ribbon instead.

Stop here and take the book on vacation. Honestly,
if your child decorates the cover now it will deteriorate during the trip. Don’t
spend your time off listening to whines over lost pom poms or wet tissue paper.
Wait until you get home to have her jazz it up with a mini masterpiece that
features a scene from vacation. Bring a baggie with pens, pencils, crayons or
markers wherever you go and let her add to the pages. You can also bring a few
extra sheets of paper to make new pages if necessary. Simply untie the pipe
cleaners, yarn or ribbon and place the new sheets in. When you get home have
her decorate the cover any way she wants.

Another option for the cover is to bring home a few
vacation mementos to collage on. Glue on cleaned sea shells, a ticket from a
play that you saw or anything else that she brought back with her (within reason
of course!).

Are you looking for more creative kids' crafts? Check out and follow my Pinterest board for more ideas!

Follow Me On Pinterest

Subscribe To

Erica Loop is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.